SMPS celebrated International Friendship Day on 6 April 2018. Dedicated to the spirit of friendship with Singapore’s neighbouring countries and beyond, this year’s theme incorporated the significance of rice and the lotus in the ASEAN countries.

The PTA provided assistance by creating a number of the displays and recruiting parent volunteers to man the activity counters. The children engaged with gusto in the recess activities that aimed to provide them with a better understanding of these countries and their culture.

At recess, a big board was on display with facts and pictures on the significance of rice in the different ASEAN countries and on display were some of the signature rice dishes from these countries, prepared by parent volunteers. Alongside, the children keenly participated in a quiz and the drop box was over-flowing with their answer papers by the end of the day!

Parent volunteers helped to manage the different counters and encouraged the children as they tried their hand at origami, creating beautiful lotuses. They also had another corner where they went about colouring, cutting out lotus silhouettes and pinning them onto a big board, which proudly displayed all the handiwork of the children. A potted full-bloomed lotus plant, which was provided by a parent volunteer, was strategically placed beside this board and it almost seemed to sway in glee as the children flocked to pin their lotuses!

At another corner, where the theme of rice and the lotus integrated, on display was a “kolam” of the lotus which was filled with coloured rice. The children were given the opportunity to try their hands at it too and they enjoyed as the coloured rice slipped through their hands onto a lotus silhouette!

At the end, the day seemed to have achieved its objective of sensitising our children towards the neighbouring countries and their unique cultures.